Source Material Annotation

1. University of Charlotte and University City (ND). Music

Can Help You Study. Retrieved from

http://uncc49er.com/622/music-can-help-you-study/

Did you know music can help you

study? Studies have shown that the

right kind of music can help you

relax your mind which enables you

to concentrate better. Perfect to

studying, doing homework or

studying for a test or exam. It cuts

down on distractions and helps you

focus on your work.

The most cited study is the

“Mozart effect” a set of research

results that indicate that listening

This might serve as a good

foundation for my academic paper.

to Mozart’s music may induce a

short-term improvement on the

performance of certain kinds of

mental tasks known as “spatial-

temporal reasoning” which is the

ability to think out long-term, more

abstract solutions to logical

problems that arise.

2. Engel, A. (2014, Dec. 5). Studying for finals? Let classical

music help. Retrieved from

https://news.usc.edu/71969/studying-for-finals-let-

classical-music-help/

Classical music helps you relax

even when you don’t pay attention

to the music, a Russian study

published in Human Physiology

found.

This would be a great reference in

establishing the positive effect of

music to human behavior.

Children who listened to classical

music for one hour a day over a six-

month period exhibited brain

changes that indicated greater

levels of relaxation — even when

the children were not asked to pay

attention to the music.

If testing anxiety causes sleepless

nights, classical music can help

soothe insomnia. A team of

researchers at the University of

Toronto found that tuning into

classical music before bedtime

helped people fall asleep faster

and stay asleep longer. Works by

Brahms, Handel, Mozart, Strauss

and Bach were effective sleep

aids because they use rhythms and

tonal patterns that create a

meditative mood and slow

brainwaves, the study found.

3. Doraiswamy, S. (2012, Oct. 8). Does Music Help You

Study?. Retrieved from

http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/10/08/does-

music-help-you-study/

So should you listen to music while

you study or do homework?

Unfortunately, the answer I have to

give you is “it depends!” It seems

like in general, music with vocals is

distracting, while instrumental

This is a good reference in pointing

out that the choice of music is

important.

music might actually help your

performance.

4. Feltman, R. (2014, Aug. 28). Music helps you focus on

your own thoughts, but only if you like it. Retrieved from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-

science/wp/2014/08/28/music-helps-you-focus-on-your-

own-thoughts-but-only-if-you-like-it/

When we listen to music we enjoy,

it makes us feel different. Truly

beloved songs inspire a different

state of mind than the average

pretty background noise. A study

published Thursday in Scientific

Reports pinpoints the changes in

neurological activity behind that

experience.

In the small study (with 21 young

adults, total), participants with

different genre preferences were

This would strengthen the idea

that I want to establish in my work.

exposed to entire songs while in an

MRI. They were exposed to a liked

genre, a disliked genre, and their

self-reported favorite song. They

were looking for changes in brain

activity that related to preference

for the music being listened to, as

opposed to changes that might

occur based on differences in the

musicality or lyrics of the tune. If

your favorite artist is Beyoncé, her

dance anthems probably make you

feel as focused as a classical music

lover listening to Beethoven — and

that's pretty crazy. The researchers

wanted to understand how people

could have the same feelings

associated with their favorite music

(greater self-reflection and inward

thought) regardless of genre.

When listening to a preferred

genre or a favorite song, the

participants had greater

connectivity between regions of

the brain called the default mode

network (DMN). The DMN is

associated with that switch we can

flip between inner and outer

thought. When the DMN is active,

you're not focused on what's

happening in the physical world

around you — you're using internal

stimuli, like memories and your

imagination.

5. Goodwin, E. (2015, Jan. 31). Do Or Don't: Studying While

Listening To Music. Retrieved from

http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/149570/Do-Or-

Dont-Studying-While-Listening-To

Because music can impact and

regulate your mood and the best

mood to study in is a more relaxed

mood, choosing music that helps

you relax but also with enough

beat or rhythm to ensure you don’t

zone out while studying is crucial.

But music that’s too loud or with

Gives me an idea about the factors

I could consider to support and

strengthen my idea.

too much of an upbeat tempo can

also be distracting, so having a

playlist or specific artist you turn to

for studying music can really help.

If you’re the type of person who

has more difficulty multitasking

and is easily distracted, listening

to music while studying may just

cause your attention to drift to the

music rather than help you

concentrate on your material.

If you’re really set on listening to

music while studying but know

your focus will probably end up

divided, choose classical music or

more acoustic music with minimal

words to distract you. Movie

scores, which typically consist of a

bunch of orchestral pieces, may

also be good background music for

you to study to.

So basically, the final decision

about studying while listening to

music is up to you — do you feel

you concentrate better with Taylor

Swift or Hozier singing in the

background? Or do you find

yourself thinking of the lyrics to the

song rather than what you’re

supposed to be studying?

Music’s effects on study habits will

vary from person to person, and

can also be affected by what you’re

listening to — the genre of the

music, how loud it is, etc.

6. Miel, A.A. (2013, June 20). Why Listen to Classical Music.

Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/cebu-

lifestyle/2013/06/20/956151/why-listen-classical-music

The Mozart effect refers to results

that listening to Mozart’s music

improves brain performance

(Wikipedia). A study showed that

children who listened to classical

This could be a reference for citing

classical music as one of the

choices of music to listen to while

studying.

music increased their IQ

permanently. They also tried this

on students studying before a test.

Some students were asked to listen

to Mozart while studying, while the

others studied with no music. After

the exam, results showed that the

students who listened to music

before the test answered more

accurately than those who didn’t

listen to music.

7. Daswani, K. (ND). Benefits of Listening to Classical Music.

Retrieved from http://uratex.com.ph/blog/benefits-of-

listening-classical-music/

A study conducted between two

groups of participants. One group

exercised while listening to

Classical Music while the other

This could be another reference to

classical music as one of the

choices of music to listen to while

studying.

group exercised without any music

at all. Those participants who

exercised without any music still

maintained the normal level of

brain stimulation. However, those

who exercised in the company of

Classical Music proved to be more

relaxed and focused than the other

group. This increase in relaxation

was not only a fractional increase;

the numbers multiplied by two.

Classical music not only helps in

stimulating the brain activity. This

genre of music also helps in sleep.

You may ask: How? As I have

mentioned previously, Classical

Music helps in moods. In particular,

it helps people loosen up. While

Rap, Pop and even Rock music are

a favorite to many, these genres

often time keeps you up –

adrenaline rises and you become

energetic. If you want to relax and

sleep, these are not the kind of

music you should be listening to. If

work is preventing you from a full

night’s rest, have a long and restful

forty winks. You should try to listen

to Classical Music. It won’t only

relax you. It will also improve your

mental ability for your packed day

up ahead.

8. (NA) (2012, Jan. 29). Listening to Music While Studying.

Retrieved from

http://www.the24hourmommy.com/2012/01/listening-

to-music-while-studying.html

When I was still studying and

memorizing for an exam, I also

listened to music and I tend to

associate lists or facts with a

certain song. This makes me

remember more. It doesn't matter

whether it's classical or pop music.

Different strokes for different folks,

so they say. It's best for you to find

out what works best for your child.

Help him find out what type of

This story could be cited in the

introduction section of my paper as

a real life example.

music helps him study more.

Observe if the lyrics of a song

distract him or if upbeat tunes

make him finish homework faster.

Remember that listening to music

can also be a great bonding time

for you both.

9. (NA) (2013, July 13). Music to Help You Study: A Sound

Way to Learn. Retrieved from

http://thepoc.net/index.php/music-to-help-you-study-a-

sound-way-to-learn/

Not all kinds of music, however,

can help you get the job done.

Stanford University professor

Clifford Nass says, “Music with

lyrics is very likely to have a

problematic effect when you’re

writing or reading. Probably less of

an effect on math, if you’re not

This is a good reference and guide

in discussing choice of music.

using the language parts of your

brain.” He notes, the human brain

listens to song lyrics with the same

part that does word processing,

which is the same part that

supposedly is being employed for

studying . A study by William Forde

Thompson,Glenn Schellenberg, and

Adriana Katharine Letnic also found

that fast, loud background music

disrupts reading comprehension.

So, what could be acceptable types

of music to listen to on a hardcore

study session?

If you are trying to , studies suggest

that silence is still the most

preferred environment. Otherwise,

listening to classical or

instrumental music may enhance

mental performance more than

music with lyrics. Dr. Nass explains,

“If you are reading and listening to

instrumental music you get

virtually no interference. The music

would not, in fact affect you, unless

you are thinking deeply about the

music, like, ‘I wonder why Chopin

chose the F sharp.’”

Mild ambient noise is also reported

to spur creativity and maintain

productivity.

10. Rossanahead (2012, June 12). Is Studying Effective with

Music. Retrieved from http://online.ahead.edu.ph/is-

studying-effective-with-music/

Music actually impairs cognitive

abilities, especially if you’re trying

to memorize lists or items,

according to theUKstudy. The lyrics

and the changing notes will only

distract you. Even as you focus on

what you’re trying to memorize,

you’ll get thrown off.

The benefits of listening to music

seem to work best before studying.

This is another view to consider as

regards the time when to listen to

music.

When you hear something you like,

researchers explain, it reinforces

your good mood allowing you to

improve your performance. It is

thus advisable to listen to music

before you start your interactive

academic tutorial sessions to get

better grades. Your online tutorials

will be more effective when you

are in the right frame of mind for

studying.